Paper feeding apparatus for electrophotography



Aug. 4, 1970 YUTAKA K OlZUMl ETAL 3,522,990

PAPER FEEDING APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPHOTOGR'APHY Filed Sept. 15, 1967 2 Sheefs-Sheet 1 mm Wu m mm A K m U v BY TADA'A Kl KANNO A-r'n L Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,990

PAPER FEEDING APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY Filed Sept. 15, 1967 V YUTAKA KOIZUMI ET AL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .mvEN'roR. YUT AKA Kolzum BY TADAAKI KANNO United States Patent 3,522,990 PAPER FEEDING APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY Yutaka Koizumi and Tadaaki Kanno, Tokyo, Japan, as-

signors to Kabushiki Kaisha Ricoh, Tokyo, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed Sept. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 668,070

Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 23, 1966,

41/ 62,659 Int. Cl. G03g /04 US. Cl. 3553 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The arrangement of parts in an electrophotographic copying machine, wherein the important elements are arranged in a straight line. At one end is a magazine for copy paper, at the other end is a heating and drying station, in between are elements such as a charging device, an exposure device, and a powder type of developing station. A vacuum gripping conveyor runs from the printing paper reservoir to the final station, all of which are arranged generally in a straight line in substantially the same plane. In addition a swingable vacuum arm is arranged to lift the topmost printing paper from the reservoir and swing it over until it is underneath the vacuum carriage which will hold the paper in reverse position as it carries it through the various stations mentioned above.

The present invention relates to an apparatus to be used in electrophotography, particularly one object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for electrophotography for use in printing paper cut in cards.-

A feature of this invention is that this apparatus employs a feeder for the printing paper which is provided with an adhesive surface to attract the card-like printing papers, and it makes useless the rollers or belts which were used in the feeder means of the copying machines heretofore.

When using comparatively small sized card-like printing paper, for instance when the paper is cut in size for an ordinary ticket, the space between the rollers standing side by side must be reduced, as the length in ingly, not only to arrange the apparatus compactly but also to hold the sensitized surface of the printing paper so it does not contact with the other parts during advancement of the paper from the charging device to the fixing device. Therefore, the apparatus can produce very clear printing. Ordinarily feeding means for feeding the printing paper with the printing side out is supported on the upper portion of the developing device. Prior art devices have used, for example, a belt to which the printing paper adheres. When the supporting member of the printing paper is provided on the upper portion of the developing device in this way, the means for supplying developing powder to the developing device becomes complicated; however, as this invention does not require the use of belts for feeding of the printing paper, provision of the developing powder supplying tank may be permitted icg on the upper portion of the developing device. Accordingly very simple construction of the developing powder supplying device may be used in this apparatus.

Said card-like printing papers are stacked a large number in the printing paper reservoir. Topmost paper is separated sheet by sheet with the paper feeding member whigh is rotatable and, thus electrophotography is obtained during passage of said separated card-like one sheet of printing paper through the charging device, exposure device and developing device together with the printing paper feeder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation in section of a copying machine embodying applicants invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing air control valve in one position on the paper conveyor device; and

FIG. 4 is a similar side elevation partly in section of the-air control valve with the paper conveyor device moved into a different position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, wherein reference numeral 1 designates a printing paper reservoir in which is stacked a large number of card-like printing papers 2. Said printing paper 2 is supported by a movable carrying table 3 provided in the reservoir and which is movable vertically.

Numeral 4 is a paper feeding member having suction holes 5 of suitable numbers and rotatable 180 about the piping shaft 6; 7 is a paper feeding member equipped with suction holes 8 of suitable numbers on the lower surface; 9 is a communication hole for joining the space 10 of the printing paper feeding member 7 and the vacuum pump (not shown); 11 is a charging device of known construction having wire electrode 12; 13 is an exposure device frame equipped with duplicating lens 14 on the lower portion.

15 is a copy such as microfilm or microfiche; 16 is a developing tank containing developing powder 17 combined with iron powder and toner; 18 is a developing cylinder rotating in the direction of the arrow along the bar magnet 19 which is fixed on the developing tank 16; 20 is a developing powder removing plate which removes excess developing powder from the developing cylinder 18. 21 is a developing powder agitating roller provided with many fins 21a on the periphery, and agitates the developing powder 17 by rotating in the direction of the arrow. The developing powder tends to adhere to the cylinder 18 in a substantially constant volume. 22 is a rotary cylinder for discharge of developing powder 17 within the developing tank 16 to be discharged by constant volume by one revolution of said rotary cylinder having oblong hole 23 on its periphery. 25 is a supply tank for a developing powder; 26 is a supply rotating cylinder for dispensing the developing powder from supply tank 25 at a constant rate by rotating said cylinder. Cylinder 26 is provided with the oblong hole 27 on the periphery having the same dimension of said oblong hole 23; 28 is a metallic screen supported rotatably by the shaft 29 for fixing the image produced by the toner. 30 is an infra-red ray lamp for heating; 31 is a reflector plate; 32 is a receiving pan for the printing papers.

Referring to FIG. 2, printing paper transmitter 7 is supported by two guide bars 33a, 33b providing parallel upper and lower supports. One portion of the chain 35 which connects a pair of sprockets 34a and 34b is fastened to the edge piece 7a of said transmitter 7. Said chain 35 reciprocates the feeding member 7 along the guide bars 33a and 33b, and changing for forward stroke and return stroke is accomplished by actuation of a limit switch when said transmitter 7 is located in a position above the metallic screen for fixing 28 (see FIG. 1) and when the transmitter 7 is located in the position shown in FIG. 2, i.e. when the transmitter 7 is occupied just on the paper feeding member 4. The rack fastened to the back of said transmitter 7 is geared with gear 37 and on the return stroke of the transmitter 7 moving in the left direction from the position shown in the drawing rotates said gear 37 in the direction of the arrow, rotates said pulley 40 180 in the direction of the arrow by driving the endless belt connecting the pulley 39 fastened to shaft 38 of said gear 37 and the pulley 40 fastened to piping shaft 4a of the paper feeding member 4 through guide pulleys 42a and 42b, shifting the paper feeding member 4 to the position shown in the chain line 4, and contacts the adhesive surface of the paper feeding member 4 to the upper surface of the card-like printing paper 2; and during the return stroke of said transmitter 7, the paper feeding member 4 is swung back again to the original position by rotating said gear 37 in the opposite direction of the arrow.

Thus said paper feeding member 4 is swingable within limits of angle 180 when coupled to reciprocating motion of the transmitter 7. During reciprocating strokes of said transmitter 7, the inner portion of said transmitter 7 is under vacuum state by actuation of an inlet change over valve later described; therefore, the transmitter 7 is passing through each upper position of the charging device, exposure device and developing device and stops for a time, immediately after actuation in a reciprocating stroke; however, when the transmitter 7 is shifted to the upper point of the fixing device the vacuum state of said transmitter is released and at the same time the inner portion of the paper feeding member 4 which is contacted with adhesive surface to the printing paper 2 is turned to vacuum state.

To illustrate the air inlet valve having the capacity of making vacuum state of said transmitter 7 and the paper feeding member 4 alternately, or capacity of release of the vacuum state with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, diametral direction air passage 46a and radius direction air passage 46c and communicating groove 46d are provided respectively on the casting 45 which is rotatably engaged to the cylinder 44 provided with four air ports 43a, 43b, 43c and 43d on the peripheral surface. Said air inlet port 43a is communicated to the vacuum pump (not shown in the drawing) through pipe 47.

Other air inlet ports 43b and 430 are communicated with each other through the inner portion of the paper feeding member 4 and the pipe 48, and the transmitter 7 and the flexible pipe 49.

Point of the arm 50 fastened to said casting 45 is connected to the operating lever 51 slidable to the same direction of the transmitter 7, and when the operating lever shifted to lateral direction the casting 45 rotates accordingly.

Said operating lever 51 is moved by transmitter 7 after completion of one portion of the reciprocating stroke.

Referring to FIG. 3, the transmitter 7 has completed the return stroke; the operating lever 51 is moved to the right; the air inlet ports 43a and 430 are connected; as a. result the vacuum pump and the transmitter 7 are connected; on the other hand the paper feeding member 4 is communicated to atmosphere through the air inlet port 43b, and the communication groove 46b is communicated to atmosphere through the air inlet port 43d, then vacuum state of the paper feeding member 4 is released. At this time, in FIG. 2, the printing paper 2 is adhered to the transmitter 7.

FIG. 4 shows that the casting 45 of FIG. 3 is rotated in a counter clockwise direction from the position in FIG. 3 by pushing away the operation lever 51 toward the left when the transmitter 7 is in the upper position of the fixing device; the air inlet port 43a and 43b is connected; also the vacuum pump and the paper feeding member are communicated; on the other hand the transmitter is communicated to atmosphere through the air inlet port 430, communication groove 46a and the air inlet port 43d, vacuum state of the transmitter 7 is released, from the result 7 above, the printing paper 7 has completed developing and is dropped on the metallic wire netting 28 for fixing process (see FIG. 1), where image produced with toner is heated to fix fixing.

After the printing paper is dropped on the metallic wire netting, the metallic wire netting carrying the printing paper is swung along the shaft 29, and discharges the printing paper on the receiving pan 32.

Rotating angle of the paper feeding member 4 is increased as the printing paper within the printing paper storage case is decreased, therefore, by utilizing increased rotating amount, the operating piece of the micro-switch 52 is pushed down by the lower surface 4b (see FIG. 1) of the paper feeding member 4', and then operates a driving device (not shown in the drawing) of said movable carrying plate 3, raising the printing paper to the amount of decrease of the printing paper. Said driving device is pulling up the suspending string 54 by a suitable amount and the lower end of it is fastened to the swinging lever 53 shown in FIG. 2.

Said swinging lever 53 is constructed so as to pull up the roller 55 of said carrying plate 3.

As described above, by raising the carrying plate 3 with the swinging lever 53, it is convenient to remove or install the printing paper stocking case 1 from this apparatus.

Rotating cylinder 26 for supplying the developing powder and discharge rotating cylinder 22 (see FIG. 1) are coupled to each other through the sprockets 56 and 57 fixed at each end of said rotating cylinders 26, 22 and the chain 58 of which is installed on these sprockets, through rotation of the handle 59 provided on one of said rotating cylinder, said two rotating cylinders are rotated simultaneously, supply and discharge of the developing powder is conducted.

These supply and discharge operations may be conducted automatically when the printing paper is discharged by constant sheets from the printing paper stockmg case.

An electrophotographic device relating to this invention is adaptable to simple and speedy measures of sales of tickets, etc., by using slot-machine jointly and taking established copy on the card-like printing paper, and offer this copy to the person who puts the coin in the slotmachine.

An exposure device is provided the capacity of giving exposure to the printing paper by flash when the transmitter 7 is shifted just upon the exposure device, and the copy 15 can be selected, or when this apparatus is jointly used with a slot-machine, selection of desired copy may be conducted automatically through an indexing device.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrophotographic apparatus comprising a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a printing paper vacuum conveying means which shifts a sheet of printing paper by vacuum power, means to make said conveying means travel repeatedly backward and forward over said charging, exposure and developing devices which are arranged in a straight line in substantially the same plane, an air inlet change-over for making and maintaining a vacuum inside the conveying means during its forward travel and also for eliminating said vacuum during its return travel back to its starting position, a printing paper feeding means which lifts up the topmost sheet of the printing paper stacked in a printing paper reservoir, rotates vertically almost half circle on a horizontal axis in order to put said sheet reversed just below said conveying means at its starting position, a means to eliminate vacuum in said feeding means having rotated to be positioned just below said conveying means at its starting position in order not to disturb the suction of said conveying means of said sheet now just below it and to make a vacuum in said feeding means to enable it to lift up another topmost sheet from said reservoir when said feeding means is back again above said reservoir, and a means for supplying developing agent in powder which is fixed above said developing device together with a supply tank storing said developing agent in powder, all of said devices and means arranged very compactly in a straight line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Ericson 271-30 Downing 271-5 Gulick 271-26 Keller et a1 9514 Fotland et a1 3554 Francis et a1 35513 Osborne et al. 3558 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner R. W. ADAMS, Assistant Examiner 

